Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Indian
Buffet
Beer/Wine
Delivery
Take-out

Veggie restaurant since 1983 and under ownership since 2015. Specializes in traditional South Indian vegetarian cuisine and thali. All-you-can eat buffet at lunchtime. NOTE: Booking system reported to be unreliable. Open Mon-Sun 12:00-14:30, 17:30-22:30.


Venue map for Kalpna
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69 Reviews

First Review by feorag

th3v3ganfoodie

Points +713

Vegan
09 Mar 2024

Friendly staff, nice buffet

Enjoyed my lunchtime buffet, with most of the options being vegan.

Updated from previous review on 2024-03-09

banananna

Points +391

Vegan
09 Oct 2023

Busy

The food was all good but the restaurant was very very busy and so the wait was quite long.

SHarrison

Points +14

Vegetarian
07 Sep 2023

Great food and service

The buffet food was excellent and the service was great

Pros: Buffet style with great choices , Vegan food clearly labelled , Great home cooked Indian food

Cons: No accessible toilet

voener

Points +71

Vegetarian
08 Jun 2023

No need to go here

Disappointing for me as well. They save on spices, even the signature dish is something without taste and a lot of tomato sauce. The vegan Dali is very small and also not tasty, and all is heavily overpriced. Buy some ready made Indian food in a supermarket instead. Plus note a 10% service charge which is not on the menu (for a service that isn’t good).

Santaci

Points +62

Vegan
27 May 2023

Disappointing

I took my wife (to be) here 35 years ago and we have been dozens of times since. Tonight was as if it was a different restaurant. We had to ask for menus after waiting for 15 minutes. The wine arrived half way through the starters (which were good). The main courses were mediocre, the rice and naan especially so. After staring at our plates for 20 minutes we had to ask for the bill which came with an added service charge.

Kalpna had been one of the leaders in veggie food in Edinburgh, now they have a lot of catching up to do. I assume the restaurant has changed hands, or maybe they (like everyone) just had an off day.

It was also difficult to be sure from the menu what was vegan and what was not.

Updated from previous review on 2023-05-26

Pros: Friendly staff

Cons: Hopeless service.

Happychar

Points +45

Vegetarian
03 May 2023

It was okay

The paneer masala tasted great. But not everything on the platter did, so it really wasn't worth it. I got the thali (a platter) for £17 it was a total ripoff, far less food than if I had just order a main with rice. The description sounds like it's a lot of food but the portions were miniscule. Therefore for taste of everything I tried and value for money, only 2 stars because it left me disappointed.

Pros: Lots of options

Cons: Platters are not worth it, Portion size very small

craigmc

Points +32448

Vegan
21 Jan 2023

Edinburghs oldest veggie

The longest running veggie restaurant in Edinburgh be my first time back in ages. I’ve struggled since it changed hands.
I would say my food tonight was tip too and it’s great to have a selection of vegan breads. The pakora starter included some potato fritters and although £6 would have been enough for two normal people.
Aubergine main was great with some slow burning heat developing slowly. Garlic Nan, good stuff.

Updated from previous review on 2016-11-24

Pros: good food, decor, Bread

Klarajj

Points +2098

Vegan
11 Sep 2022

Good but closed without explanation

Usually I love Kalpna as their food is delicious and affordable with lots of options and a cosy atmosphere. but we turned up today just after 12pm on a Sunday when they are meant to be open according to website and it was closed. A member of staff saw us and went into the restaurant but when we asked he said no they are closed. I said just to let them know, their opening hours online aren’t up to date, and they just said yeah they know. No explanation, no apology. Bit disappointed but would give it another go but call in advance to see if they’re open.

Updated from previous review on 2022-09-11

Pros: Great food

Cons: Unreliable opening hours

DanSerebro1

Points +28

Vegan
07 Jul 2022

Average

Not the best, not the worst.
Pretty safe Indian options, give the naan a miss.

Sully18

Points +108

Vegan
03 Apr 2022

Nice Thali

Was a bit unsure as to whether this would be a good choice given the mixed reviews on here. Only one waiter serving and was busy even though it was Sunday night.... Poor guy was rushed off his feet! Surprisingly our drinks and food were served pretty promptly. The vegan thali was very tasty. It was a cold, wet evening and the door kept blowing open causing some customers to either sit in the draft or move. It looked like there were plenty more tables further inside that weren't used.

Pros: All vegetarian , Good vegan thali

Cons: Service minimal, Not many dishes labelled vegan

TanyaRamirez

Points +56

Vegan
02 Jan 2022

They need to improve booking system

I booked a table for New Years Eve. I even received the email confirmation for the booking, but when I got there, it was closed (there was no message on their website saying they’d be close). Needless to say it ruined my NYE dinner and me and my family ended up in a pub in front of it eating fries. If you’re planning to go, don’t rely on their website.

Pros: Can’t tell

Cons: Terrible booking system

SophieCox

Points +88

Vegan
10 Sep 2021

Good but busy

. We arrived at the place late, I'd phoned to let them know in advance which they were more than accommodating for. When we arrived it was packed and the table was cleaned down before we sat. The server did seem bit distracted when he took out order but it was extremely busy. My partner and I ordered the vegan tahhli each, I loved it as I like small different portions. Each small dish tasted different and unique. I thought it was really good value for money as well at 22 quid each for the tahhli. The menu hasn't been updated on their website but does clearly state what is vegan, if I went back I would order the baigan bharta as a main as it was really tasty. They are really busy and probably need more staff but overall the food was really good.

Pros: Unique tastes in each dish

Cons: Service not the best

Lostbuthappy

Points +176

Vegan
10 Aug 2021

Dirty

Went yesterday for lunch as I had been many years ago and loved it. Found the place to be extremely dirty and no soap in the toilets. Didn't even have sanitiser or ask for contact details. The table we were given hadn't been cleaned properly during covid times this is very poor. Food was very average.

Kathrine16

Points +78

Vegan
09 Aug 2021

Very dirty

Filthy. Also no soap in the bathroom or handsantiser available (covid time). Table still dirty from previous customers.
Options available online are not available in the restaurant.
Not impressed and would not recommend

perkinsmg

Points +20

Vegan
25 Jul 2021

Great buffet lunch!

I've been to this restaurant for many years but it was only recently I tried it for lunch. They have a great value buffet where all but one of the dishes was vegan (the other was vegetarian, of course). The food is very tasty and healthy. I look forward to returning soon.

Pros: Most dishes are vegan, Good value

honoraryidiot

Points +2369

Vegan
04 Jul 2021

One of the best 👌 5 stars

Really amazing food, not much else to say!

froggyrules

Points +142

Vegan
01 Jun 2021

Delicious food and friendly staff

Had a lovely meal here with a friend. Lovely staff, beautifully decorated and the food was delicious. I had the vegan thali which was great!

lowrisheila

Points +20

Vegan
19 Dec 2020

Delivery never arrived, restaurant lied about status

Apparently my order never came through on Deliveroo, but the restaurant lied to me several times over the course of two hours claiming it was on the way instead of actually checking, completing wasting my evening and meaning I had nothing to eat. Absolutely terrible service and will never go here again.

caw

Points +2545

Vegan
17 Dec 2020

Delicious

Delicious! Delivery always takes at least twice as long as they say it will, and often arrives cold, so have your oven hot and order early, it's so tasty it's still worth ordering, just don't plan around it!

Pros: Vegan naan bread

Cons: Delivery very slow

RuthBerry

Points +50

Vegan
07 Oct 2020

Love a thaali

Had a large vegan Thaali and a smaller one. The small one was more than enough for me and my fella polished off the large. Delicious food and the service was great too.

Cons: Take cash cos it's cash only

JakeNCL

Points +41

Vegan
26 Sep 2020

Food was delicious when it finally arrived..

Had dinner on a Saturday at Kalpna and the restaurant was full. They had temporary screens up between tables for covid (no disposable cutlery though which was mentioned in another review). Service was polite but unfortunately rather slow.

Pros: Food was very tasty

Cons: Slow and somewhat inattentive service, Cash only

CoreyMoses

Points +187

Vegetarian
25 Sep 2020

Fantastic flavor

The dishes we got were super tasty, a bit pricey but I highly recommend!

Pros: Super tasty, Authentic

Cons: A bit expensive

Christi

Points +174

Vegan
30 Jul 2020

Delicious food but ditch the plastic!

My friends and I stumbled across this place recently when hopelessly searching for somewhere open that has vegan options.
They have a great selection for vegans and we’re able to accommodate our differing tastes in terms of spice.
The food was very tasty and the service was good. My only disappointment was that, due to Covid, literally everything we used, from the cutlery to the plates to the glasses, was single use plastic. This is the only reason I wouldn’t return as I feel it is unnecessary and wouldn’t be able to enjoy a meal knowing I had produced so much waste.
I hope they rethink this policy soon.

Pros: Lots of vegan options, Tasty food- especially the platters, Good service

Cons: Single use plastic

Desertwillow

Points +38

Vegan
16 Feb 2020

OK

If you’ve not had South Indian food before, you’re in for a treat. If you have and you loved it, you may find this just OK. Service pleasant but variable.

neil7908

Points +436

Vegetarian
15 Feb 2020

Dropped in quality

I've been several times over the years but last time I went, I have to agree with the review below that it was incredibly bland.

The lunch all you can eat felt like I was in a school cafeteria - tasteless, lukewarm food served in big vats. Wasn't even particularly cheap and cash only is a pretty big inconvenience these days.

I would give dinner a try again as that's when I've enjoyed it before and that's also why I've been generous in my star rating but wouldn't be back for lunch.

deadpledge

Points +11403

Vegan
01 Nov 2019

Battle of the bland

After reading some glowing reviews I had been looking forward to visiting Kalpna. Sadly we left really disappointed after our lunch buffet. It wasn't that the food was awful, it was just bland and I suppose we were expecting a lot more. Two of the three curries on offer were vegan (daal and a chickpea saag) but both were lacking a depth of flavour and spice. The chutneys and sauces were very nice though, as were the bhajis. I would visit again but not for the buffet, as I suspect the evening menu would be more to my liking and a truer reflection of what they offer.

Pros: Inexpensive

Cons: Bland buffet, Cash only for buffet

RoryMcK

Points +261

Vegan
29 Aug 2019

Great lunch buffet

Every time I've been to the buffet, all of the curries have been vegan, the rice obviously is too. Some of the best curry I've had in Edinburgh.

Edit: just asked and occasionally one of the curries is just vegetarian, but mostly they're all vegan




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